Kenya faces dual threat of floods and drought, official says

Kenya Red Cross Society Secretary General Dr. Idris Ahmed at Boma Hotel in Nairobi on March 21, 2025[Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The Kenya Red Cross has urged Kenyans to take drought and flood advisories seriously, warning that ignoring early warnings is worsening humanitarian crises.

Speaking on Friday, February 27, Secretary-General Idris Ahmed said the organisation often struggles to mobilise support when issuing early appeals.

Last year, he said, Red Cross issued what it termed a “complex appeal” to address flooding in some regions and drought in others. The move was met with scepticism.

“We put out what we call a complex appeal, one that responds to both drought and flooding, and people were asking why we were issuing two extreme appeals in one emergency,” Ahmed said.

“If we cannot take early warning seriously as a country, then there is something terribly wrong with us.”

He noted that early warning systems have improved significantly due to advances in climate science. However, he said public institutions must align service delivery with scientific forecasts.

“We have to really change, the ability for us to program our public service delivery generally around science and early warning. We have to address, there is no other way.”

Since late last year, several parts of the country have faced severe drought. About 3.3 million people, largely in the northeastern counties of Mandera, Turkana, Marsabit and Samburu, require food assistance. The Red Cross official warned that the number could rise to 3.6 million by the end of next month.

More than 890,000 children are facing malnutrition, including 250,000 in the acute stage, he said.

In December 2025, lawmakers and aid agencies warned of worsening conditions in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), citing poor performance of the October-to-December rains. Northern leaders attributed the shortfall to La Niña conditions and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole, which raised temperatures and suppressed rainfall.

Eldas MP Adan Keynan said Mandera, Wajir, Turkana and Tana River counties were already experiencing acute shortages of food, water and pasture. Many households, he said, have exhausted food reserves and now rely on markets where prices have surged.

"Current food security assessments show at least two point one million people in ASAL counties are facing crisis-level hunger," said Keynan, adding that dwindling water sources and pasture have weakened livestock, with disease spreading among herds and reducing value.

The warnings come as the Kenya Meteorological Department, in its February 25-March 3 outlook, issued a heavy rainfall advisory for Nairobi and 12 other regions.

Areas flagged for heavy rains include Western Kenya, the Lake Victoria Basin, the Rift Valley, the Central Highlands, parts of Eastern Kenya and the Coast.